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Не понимаю, в кого он такой своевольный.
I saw this phrase in an IM, and I assume it is roughly an equivalent of "take after" in English. I find this turn of phrase curious, though: how should I interpret "в кого {accusative}"? It seems to literally mean:
I don't understand to whom he's so stubborn.
Is this how Russian speakers commonly convey the idea of "take after"? Or are there other expressions?
Yes, "в кого ты/он/она такой/такая..." is the question about whom that person is taking after. It can be about about appearance and/or behavior.
"Он весь в отца" means "he really takes after his father"/"he's just like his father". "Весь/вся в..." can be translated as "He/she is the spitting image of..."
A very common phrase is "В кого ты такой уродился?!" Depending on context and intonation, it can be lighthearted, positive even, or an expression of annoyance (that's how it's most often used), sort of "You're just impossible!"
"В кого ты такой умный?" can be a compliment "Damn, you are smart!" or more like "Oh really, smartass?", while "В кого ты такая красивая?" is a compliment.
You can also drop personal pronoun if it's clear whom you're talking about. Like so "Ну вся в мать!". Again, whether her being like her mother is good or bad depends on the context.
Yes indeed, the English “take after someone” can be translated as «родиться/поийти/идти/быть/стать в кого-либо»
Основные значения фразового глагола take:
Take after – быть похожим, походить на (родителей, родственников) – когда говорят о характере, склонностях и т.п. — Mary is very clever – she takes after her mother. – Мэри очень умная – она пошла в свою мать
In your example, the verb быть is omitted in the Present tense, so what is left is «в» with a noun phrase in Accusative.
